Zer0-Mistakes Quick Start Guide

By Zer0-Mistakes Development Team

Complete setup guide for the Zer0-Mistakes Jekyll theme featuring Docker-first development, AI-powered installation, and cross-platform compatibility

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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Table of Contents

🚀 Quick Start Guide

Get your zer0-mistakes Jekyll site running in under 5 minutes with our intelligent installation system.

For the full install + personalization workflow (all methods, config layering, and troubleshooting), use the canonical repo guide:

• https://github.com/bamr87/zer0-mistakes/blob/main/docs/QUICKSTART.md

⚡ Fastest Start (1 Command)

For immediate results:

# Create and setup new site
mkdir my-site && cd my-site
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bamr87/zer0-mistakes/main/install.sh | bash && docker-compose up

That’s it! Your site will be running at http://localhost:4000

🎯 What You Get

• 🤖 AI-Powered Setup - Intelligent error detection and automatic fixes
• 🐳 Docker Environment - Consistent development across all platforms
• 🎨 Bootstrap 5.3 - Modern responsive design with dark mode
• 📱 Mobile-First - Optimized for all devices and screen sizes
• ⚡ Live Reload - Changes appear instantly during development
• 🛡️ Error Recovery - Self-healing installation with detailed diagnostics

🔄 Installation Options

Path	Method	Best For
A	AI Install Wizard	Creating a new site (recommended)
B	GitHub Template	One-click copy of the entire repo
C	GitHub Codespaces	Zero-install cloud development
D	Fork/Clone	Theme development & customization
E	Remote Theme	GitHub Pages without copying files
F	Ruby Gem	Traditional Jekyll workflow

Option A: AI Install Wizard (Recommended)

mkdir my-site && cd my-site
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bamr87/zer0-mistakes/main/install.sh | bash
docker-compose up

Option B: GitHub Template Repository

1. Go to github.com/bamr87/zer0-mistakes
2. Click “Use this template” → “Create a new repository”
3. Clone your new repo and run docker-compose up

Or via CLI:

gh repo create my-site --template bamr87/zer0-mistakes --clone
cd my-site && docker-compose up

Option C: GitHub Codespaces (Zero Install)

Or from the repo page: Code → Codespaces → Create codespace on main

Option D: Fork/Clone (Theme Development)

gh repo fork bamr87/zer0-mistakes --clone
cd zer0-mistakes
docker-compose up

Option E: Remote Theme (GitHub Pages)

gh repo create my-site --public --clone
cd my-site
echo "remote_theme: bamr87/zer0-mistakes" > _config.yml
# Enable GitHub Pages in repository Settings

Option F: Ruby Gem

echo 'gem "jekyll-theme-zer0"' >> Gemfile
bundle install
# Set theme: jekyll-theme-zer0 in _config.yml

For the complete setup guide with all options and troubleshooting, see QUICKSTART.md.

📚 Comprehensive Setup Guides

🏗️ Essential Setup

Guide	Purpose	Time	Difficulty
Machine Setup	Install Docker, Git, and platform tools	10 min	Beginner
Jekyll Setup	Configure theme and development environment	5 min	Beginner
GitHub Setup	Version control and deployment	10 min	Intermediate

🚀 Advanced Configuration

Guide	Purpose	Time	Difficulty
Bootstrap Customization	Modify themes and responsive design	15 min	Intermediate
Performance Optimization	Speed up loading and Core Web Vitals	20 min	Advanced
Custom Hosting	Deploy to Netlify, Vercel, or custom servers	15 min	Intermediate

🔧 Development Tools

Tool	Purpose	Setup Time
VS Code Extensions	Enhanced Jekyll development	5 min
GitHub CLI	Repository management	5 min
Docker Desktop	Containerized development	10 min

🎯 Development Workflows

Local Development

# Start development environment
docker-compose up

# Access your site
open http://localhost:4000

Theme Customization

# Customize layouts and includes
edit _layouts/default.html
edit _includes/header.html

# Modify styles (SCSS pipeline)
edit _sass/custom.scss
# or add assets/css/user-overrides.css and link it in _includes/core/head.html

🔧 Quick Troubleshooting

Installation Issues

Problem: Installation fails

# Check Docker is running
docker --version

# Try minimal installation first
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bamr87/zer0-mistakes/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --minimal

Problem: Port 4000 in use

# Check what's using the port
lsof -i :4000

# Use different port
docker-compose run -p 4001:4000 jekyll

Problem: Docker platform warnings

# This is normal on Apple Silicon - the site will still work
# The docker-compose.yml already includes platform: linux/amd64

Validation Commands

Test your installation:

# New site install (generated project):
# - Confirm files exist and Docker config parses
ls -la
docker-compose config

# Theme repo (this repository):
./test/test_runner.sh

🆘 Need Help?

Resource	Purpose	Response Time
GitHub Issues	Bug reports and technical support	24-48 hours
Discussions	Community Q&A and feature requests	Community-driven
Documentation	Comprehensive guides and tutorials	Immediate
AI Diagnostics	Built-in automated troubleshooting	Immediate

🚀 Next Steps

🎯 Immediate Actions:

1. Run the one-command installation
2. Verify with the validation commands
3. Start customizing your site content

📚 Learn More:

1. Follow the essential setup guides
2. Explore advanced configuration options
3. Join our community discussions

🚀 Deploy:

1. Push to GitHub for automatic Pages deployment
2. Configure custom domain if needed
3. Monitor performance with built-in tools

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Ready to build something amazing? Start with the fastest installation above!